Requiem for the Dream

Gawker is running a series where they allow people who are or have been unemployed during this economic downturn talk about their experiences. As you can imagine, the stories are often depressing, sometimes frightening, and very often filled with desperation. The quality of the writing varies, but to me, that is not really the point. These stories are about the current American struggle, one that I think could potentially alter the way we think and how we live our lives.

The American Dream is something we grew up believing. Go to school, obey the rules, get into college, get a degree, and then find a good job. Work hard and stay loyal, be smart so you can have what you want in live. Do all of this, and you can be secure and happy. Do all of this, and everything will work out okay for you.  We were taught to believe that this path was open to everyone. Education and hard work would get you where you needed to go in life.

What bothers me about the Gawker stories is that one message is coming loud and clear. The belief in that dream is dying. There are people out there who did all of the steps, who obeyed all the rules, who followed all the plans . . . who are now struggling to even find where their next meal is coming from. There are people who feel like they are invisible, lost, and without meaning. There are people who have worked for many years who lost their jobs when the companies went out, and now are trying to find someone to hire them when they are 40, 50, 60. Loyalty and hard work mean nothing when the people at the top can't keep things together.

The Great Depression was horrible, but the path out of it was found. By the 1950s, there was a sense that America was on her feet again. People were finding prosperity again.  There was hope. Right now, I'm not sure where that hope is going to come from, or if it can even return. I think for a lot of people, the perception of the American Dream has died. The concept of how to find success in this country has forever changed.

I know that  this can be seen as a scary thing, but it really doesn't have to be. When one dream dies, especially when it dies because reality showed up and beat it to death, there is always another dream that can take its place. This is a time when new priorities can be found, a time when a new identity can be created. This is the time when goals for a more practical and simple life can be set into motion. This is when we can change things around.

One time when my grandmother was talking about growing up during the Great Depression, she remarked that she never knew she was poor. Even though her family lost their farm and everyone was struggling, she didn't understand that there could be another way of life. I think it's important to keep in mind that while we have less than others, we can still have a rich life. Even though we were sold on the idea that our security and happiness were tied into how much money we had, it doesn't mean that is the only way. And yes, even as I type that, I know it's hard to contemplate, especially when rent is due and you don't have the cash to pay it.  But right now, altering the perception is all we can do.